Liftoff with Keith Newman

Episode: From Lyft to Climate Tech: Raj’s Journey of Innovation & Impact

Date: September 16, 2025
Guest: Raj Kapoor, Co-founder & Managing Partner at Climactic, former Chief Strategy Officer at Lyft

Episode Overview

This episode of Liftoff with Keith Newman features Raj Kapoor, a Silicon Valley veteran whose journey spans founding roles at FitMob and Snapfish, early investment in Lyft, and a major pivot from mainstream tech to climate technology. Host Keith Newman explores Raj’s career transitions, his hands-on role in Silicon Valley's defining startups, and his current work investing in climate tech with Climactic. Throughout, they discuss innovation, entrepreneurial pivots, resilience in the face of setbacks, and the urgent need for impact-driven ventures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins in Tech and the Leap to Climate (00:00 – 05:56)

• Raj recounts his early tech journey (FitMob, Snapfish, Snapfish, Mayfield VC) and first exposure to climate urgency via a pivotal TED talk by John Doerr and Al Gore.
• “For me, that was just a huge wake up call to do something about it.” (03:14, Raj)
• Initial attempt: Building a social awareness game about environmental impact, which raised $500k and top talent, but did not drive real-world behavioral change.

2. Strategic Investing: Clean Tech to Lyft (05:56 – 12:03)

• At Mayfield, Raj and team explored “clean tech” (now “climate tech”), focusing on business model innovation over heavy hardware (“capital-light”).
• Strategic investments: SolarCity (eventually part of Tesla), Sea Power (demand response software), and bet on transportation efficiency → discovering Zimride (the precursor to Lyft).
• Lyft origin story: Hackathon led to real-time peer-to-peer ride-sharing, pink mustaches, viral growth, and Uber’s rapid attempts at intervention.
• “We saw the demand like the day we launched, like 10 times greater than what we thought.” (10:39, Raj)
• Key lesson: Fully commit resources to new breakout products, even when uncertain.

3. Lyft, Entrepreneurship, and Full Circle to Climate (12:03 – 15:40)

• Shifted focus from investing to building (FitMob, later merged with ClassPass), then returned to climate with renewed determination.
• At Lyft: Tasked with leading the shift to electric, autonomous, shared vehicles, leveraging both executive experience and a robotics background.
• COVID-19 hit, forcing a strategic reevaluation.
• Entry into climate venture full-time with partner Josh Felser, founding Climactic.

4. Navigating the “Polycrisis” of Climate Innovation (16:51 – 22:13)

• Climate tech faces interwoven economic, political, and societal barriers (“polycrisis”).
• Importance of perseverance and adapting messaging—citing Van Jones’ bipartisan work and the power of reframing narratives to be more inclusive and solution-oriented.
• “We got to move from neutral language to masculine language. We got to move to energy dominance from green energy. So we got to find words that open the tent and let everyone in.” (19:02, Raj)
• Emphasis on economics—clean solutions are now cost-competitive, but incentives ebb and flow with policy.

5. Investment Focus: Efficiency, Resilience & Physical AI (22:38 – 32:58)

• Enterprises are primary climate actors—individuals/consumers and governments alone can’t solve the emissions issue.
• Main levers for progress:
  • Efficiency: “Low hanging fruit” (smart energy use, grid optimization, digital twins for resource management)
  • Resilience: Infrastructure for storms, wildfires, and other climate impacts has an “obvious ROI” now.
• Core thesis: Investing in AI and robotics for the physical world—"physical AI"—as the next inflection point for impact.
• Examples:
  • Carnegie Mellon-founded field robotics for rapid solar panel deployment.
  • Digital twin platforms for enterprise decarbonization planning.
• “With AI today, deep learning, they went out and did a pilot in each of them and beat the goals by double what they told the companies they were going to do.” (27:29, Raj)
• Future: The rise of physical AI, including humanoids and robots sensing, learning, and acting in complex real world environments.

6. Advice to Entrepreneurs: Peripheral Vision & Systems Thinking (32:58 – 41:54)

• Raj’s differentiated value to founders:
  • Helps enhance “peripheral vision” to spot unseen threats and opportunities.
  • Focus on what not to do; hiring for A-level talent.
  • Crucial decision: When to accelerate versus when to be conservative.
  • Emphasizes personal growth and awareness of founder’s own patterns.
• “A good investor is going to do like a 360… provide some context in that instinct because we can look at the outside world and say, well, actually the next round is going to be harder than you think, given what's going on in the world.” (35:57, Raj)
• Advocates for placing technical founders who are “systems thinkers” in the CEO seat, citing Zuckerberg and Lyft’s Logan.
• Raj backs founders eager to learn and evolve (“they want it, not just need it”), often supplementing with high-caliber advisors rather than consultants.

7. Founder DNA: What Makes a Scalable CEO? (36:35 – 41:01)

• The best CEOs are curious, holistic problem-solvers—not just tech-focused.
• “If the technical founder is only interested in technology and is the CEO, it’s usually not going to work. What we’re looking for is a technical founder that is what I would call a systems thinker.” (37:12, Raj)
• Holistic skills can be taught if there’s willingness; best-in-class entrepreneurs are always eager to improve.

8. Hope, Impact, and the Next Generation (41:54 – 42:44)

• Raj remains hopeful, noting a Stanford study showing nearly 90% of top engineering grads now seek impact-driven careers, especially in AI and climate.
• “It’s not an either or. You can really go after it… I’m very positive and hopeful with the younger generation who has embraced this fully.” (41:54, Raj)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Climate Awakening:
  “This is the biggest crisis we face and we’re leaving this to our children. For me, that was just a huge wake up call to do something about it.” —Raj (03:15)
• On Innovation & Pivoting:
  “It’s not about not doing anything. It’s about setting a direction, but then allowing life to flow. And that’s really what pivoting a company is about.” —Raj (16:02)
• On the Entrepreneur’s Journey:
  “There are so many decisions and so many things you could do as an entrepreneur. What are the things you’re not going to do…?” —Raj (34:25)
• On Systems Thinking in Founders:
  “If the technical founder is only interested in technology and is the CEO, it’s usually not going to work… We’re looking for a technical founder that is a systems thinker.” —Raj (37:12)
• On the Next Generation:
  “Stanford did a survey… 85 or 90% of them were looking at something with impact, and most of them were around climate. But applying AI.” —Raj (41:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Early tech to climate awakening: 00:00 – 05:56
• Investing in Clean Tech & Lyft Story: 05:56 – 12:03
• Entrepreneurial pivots & roles at Lyft: 12:03 – 15:40
• Navigating climate’s polycrisis with language and resilience: 16:51 – 22:13
• Investment Thesis: Efficiency, Resilience, and Physical AI: 22:38 – 32:58
• Coaching entrepreneurs: strategies, hiring, growth: 32:58 – 41:54
• Closing thoughts on impact and next-gen optimism: 41:54 – 42:44

Podcast Tone

Conversational, wise, and candid with a blend of Silicon Valley realism and optimistic pragmatism. Raj and Keith share stories with humor and humility, offering practical lessons without hype, but leaving listeners feeling empowered and forward-looking.

For more inspiring journeys and actionable insights from founders at the intersection of tech and impact, explore more Liftoff episodes at the podcast link.